gilbert



(No Modem 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. GILBERT.

SIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIRE ARMS.

No. 309,342. Patented Dec. 16, 1884.

min /sum j W? (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

' T. GILBERT.

SIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIRE ARMS.

No. 309,342. Patented Dec. 16, 1884.

v (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3.

T. GILBERT.

SIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIRE ARMS. N0. 309,342.

Patented Dec. 16, 1884.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GILBERT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR TIRE-ARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,342, dated December 16, 1884:.

pplication filed February 27, 1884. (N0 model.) Patented in England January 1, 1884, No. 53; in GermanyTebruary 12, 1884,

No. 27,890, and in France February 18, 1884, No. 160,394.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GILBERT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or applicable to Fire-Arms and Ordnance, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, N0. 53, on the 1st of January, 1884,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction and application to fire-arms and ordnance of a device, as hereinafter described, having for its object to allow of the arm being sighted or aimed with both eyes open in a better mam ner than hitherto, as when using my invention the sighting or aiming can be effected with certainty and without confusion of vision. By my improvement-s either the whole or part of the barrel or barrels and sight of the arm are completely obliterated or screened from the vision of the left or the right eye, (as the case may be,) according to whether the fire arm is held in position for aiming from the right or the left eye, both eyes being open.

My invention consists of a disk or screen made of any suitable material and adapted to the arm as hereinafter described. The device or screen will be attached on either the left or right side (as the case may be) of the stock, barrel, action, frame, or mounting of the arm in such a position as will intercept or screen the vision of the left or the right eye from the whole or part of the said arm when in position to aim. At the same time the vis ion of the screened eye will be perfectly free to view all space, including the whole of the object to be aimed at, which the arm must to a great extent obscure from the vision of the other eye when taking an accurate aim. I have found that good results may be obtained if the device be placed on the arm from about siX to eighteen inches distant from the eye.

It will be understood that my device or screen is constructed so that it may be either permanently fixed to or be removable from the arm, or be so fixed to the arm that when the arm is not in use or otherwise the disk or screen may be turned or laid flatwise against the stock or other part of the arm.

In order to enable my invention to be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel represents a side elevation, andv Fig. 2 a transverse section, of a double-barrel gun or ride with my improvements applied thereto, the device or screen being shown in the position it occupies when required for use in aiming the gun. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2, and showing the device or screen turned down out of the way when not required for'use. Figs. 5 and 6 are a side elevation and a transverse section, respectively, of a single-barrel gun or rifle, showing a form of device or screen suitable for this kind of fire-arm, the screen being in position for use. Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views of the arm, showing the position occupied by the screen when partly rotated previously to being turned down; Figs. 9 and 10, similar views showing the screen turned down. Fig. 11 is a diagram to explain the principle of the invention.

All the figures except Fig. 11 are drawn about half full size, and similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.

In Figs. 1 to 4, a is a double-barrel gun or ride of ordinary construction. Z) is the device or screen which I adapt to the arm. It may be made of steel or other suitable material, and is provided with a stud or bolt, 0, the said bolt passing through the lock and stock from 7.

side to side just in front of the cooks d, as shown, or in any other suitable positionsuch as through the wood fore end of the stock at mor it can be fixed without the bolt passing through to the other side of the arm. The free end of the stud or bolt 0 is cut with a screwthread, and is provided with a thumb-nut, e, by which the device is held in position for aiming, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. WVhen the arm is not in use, the thumb-nut 0 may be partly unscrewed and the device I) turned down, so as to lie lengthwise with the lock-plate or handle of the gun-stock, as shown in Figs. and 4, and then by tightening the thumb-nut 0 the device will be held firmly in this position. It will be obvious that when the gun is not in use the device may be removed altogether from the gun.

The form and dimensions of the screen or device 1) shown in Figs. 1 to 4 are those which I have found to answer well for all kinds of shot-guns and double sporting-rifies.

In Figs. 5 to 10 I have shown the form of screen or device which I have found to answer for single-barrel guns or rifles, whether sporting or military. The construction and arrangement of the device is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described, except that the stem h of the screen b is fitted in an eye or socket, f, in the bolt 0 so that it can turn and slide therein, a set-screw, 9, being provided to allow of the screen I) being adjusted and fixed in diiicrent positions to suit the range. In Figs. 5 and 6 the screen is shown in position for firing. \Vhen the arm is not in use, the set-screw r/ is loosened andv the screen b is turned a quarter of a revolution, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The thumbnut c is then loosened, and the boltc and screen 6 are then turned down lengthwise of the gun toward the muzzle, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, (or it may be turned toward the breech,) and the thumb-nut c and set-screw g are then tightened, and the screen will be held in the position shown. The eye or socketf, for receiving the stem h of the screen 1), allows of the screen being raised or lowered to fix the screen at different heights, to allow of firing or sighting at long ranges. In cases of rifles that are not sighted beyond five hundred yards, the sliding part of the stem h and the set-screw f can be dispensed with. In this case the stem would be prevented from rotating when in position by drawing and holding the fiat sides of the bottom of the stem h firmly against the stock by means of the set-screw 0.

Instead of the screen I) sliding in the eye or socketf, the height of the screen may be in creased by means of a cap sliding telescopcwise over the screen.

The principle of my invention will be readily understood by reference to the diagram at Fig. 11, in which a is the gun; 7), my device or screen applied thereto; 'i the ordinary back sight, and j the fore sight. It and Z represent the right and left eyes, respectively, of the person firing the gun. The dotted line from 7.: shows the line of sight from the right eye along the barrel of the gun, while the dotted line from Z shows that the device I) will intercept or screen the vision of the left eye from the whole or part of the gun in front of the screen. At the same time the said left eye will be' free to view the surrounding space, including the whole of the object to be aimed at. lVhen both eyes are thus open and fixed on the obj ect to be fired at, the said screen will appear transparent and almost invisible on the arm by reason of the vision of the right eye extending beyond it toward the left-hand side, and that of the left eye extending beyond it toward the right-hand side.

In the drawings I have shown my device or screen adapted to the left side of the gun; but it will be obvious that if the gun is to be used for firing from the left shoulder the device or screen would be placed on the right-hand side of the gun, so as to screen the right eye.

The application of my device to ordnance will be substantially the same as that for hand fire-arms, and will be understood without fur ther description.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of performing the same, what I claim is 1. In combination with a fire-arm or piece of ordnance, an adjustable screen, I), pivoted transversely at the side thereof near the breech, said screen being so located with respect to the main sight as to interceptor screen one eye of the marksman in sighting, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a firearm or piece of ordnance, the adjustable screen I), having a shank mounted in a socket, f, to permit a quarterturn of the same, and an adjustable stud or bolt to permit the screen to be turned down beside the gun, all substantially as shown and described.

In combination with a lire-arm or piece of ordnance, an adjustable screen mounted in a socket provided with an adjusting device or screw, 9, whereby it may be adjusted vertically, and with an adjustable stud or bolt to permit the screen to be turned down beside the gun, all substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with a fire-arm or piece of ordnance, the adjustable screen i), having a shank mounted in a socket, f, to permit a quarter-turn and a vertical adjustment of the same, and an adj ustable stud or bolt, 0, to permit the screen to be turned down, all substantially as shown and described.

T. GILBIGRI. \Vitnesses:

Gno. FnmY, .TonN Dreams.

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